Redbreast 21 Year

Yesterday was a challenging day. My former college roommate visited from Chicago, and since he also enjoys whiskey, we decided to open a premium bottle to share. We chose the Redbreast 21. We booked an Airbnb in Philadelphia for a getaway, reminiscing about our study abroad days in Rome. Before that, he came over for dinner, where my wife prepared her amazing homemade pizzas. Naturally, we delved into my whiskey collection, sampling Yellow Spot, Dark Silkie, Maker's 46, and Glenmorangie 14, before opening the Redbreast Cask Strength 12. Later, we traveled to our lodging and opened the Redbreast 21, spending the evening comparing it to the Redbreast 12 CS. The whiskies were superb, the conversation flowed, and by midnight, I was so incredibly intoxicated that I probably would have foreseen today's misery if I'd been thinking straight. I haven't consumed that much alcohol in ages, and most of today has been spent feeling sick. Regarding the Redbreast 21, it ranks among the best whiskeys I've ever experienced. The aroma is opulent, reminiscent of vanilla bean cake frosting with candied orange notes. The sweetness continues on the palate, but not excessively. There are stone fruits, primarily peaches, honey, butterscotch on the finish, and candied ginger in the long, lingering aftertaste. The expert review is spot-on; its quality makes you want to drink it rapidly. The 12 Year Cask Strength is also excellent and flavorful, but this one truly elevates the experience. While the various Spot bottlings are good, I prefer these, though I'm not entirely sure why. It became apparent when I included the Yellow Spot that I favored the intensity of the 12 Year CS and the 21. At $300 a bottle, I doubt I'll purchase this again. It was meant for a special occasion, the kind of bottle you break out when old friends reunite after five years. It's a brief reunion. We have a concert tonight, he leaves Wednesday morning, and this was the perfect drink to accompany it. I'm now curious about the taste of the 27 Year Redbreast, but its price is also out of my league. In fact, this one is too, but it's a rare treat, so I'll raise my glass for a final sip in honor of my friend who brought it. I'd almost say the hangover was worth it, but it was truly brutal and makes me wish I could go back and tell myself to slow down. Oh well, you learn as you go, right? Though I probably should have mastered that lesson two decades ago.

I enjoyed the 12, 12 Cask Strength, and 15. You’d think I’d like this too. Redbreast is consistently a winner – I anticipate nothing less from the 21. This is the most aged Irish I’ve owned and the second most aged spirit overall. For context, this is the older silver packaging, meaning it’s a bottling from several years ago. Let’s see. Aroma: Red apple, pineapple, mango, orange, honeydew, cantaloupe, pear, plum, and apricot. It’s a fantastic blend of fruit, both tropical and from the orchard. Caramel, vanilla, and sugar cookie. Maple pecan. Brown sugar, toffee, and honey. Roasted nuts, some baking spices, and a significant impact of oak. Phenomenal aroma. Palate: Red apple, cranberry, raisin, date, fig, and pear. Plum and black cherry. Apricot and orange. Cola. Caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, honey, shortbread cookie, toffee, and Cinnabon. Maple pecan. Roasted nuts: cashews, walnut, and almond. Awesome. Finish: Hits hard for a 46% ABV. The roasted nuts are prominent again. Apple, pear, apricot, and raisin. Caramel. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice carry this out to what results in a moderately long finish. Sometimes, when you find a distillery or a brand you truly appreciate, trying the higher-end expressions can lead to disappointment. This is by far the most I’ve spent on any Redbreast bottling, and it is also unequivocally the best. It’s simply amazing at every turn. Not only is it the best Redbreast bottling, but it’s the finest Irish whiskey – and among the top whiskies I’ve ever had. At $323, it would be difficult to justify the purchase without this review. Generally, I’d say this price is too high for any bottle of whiskey. However, this isn’t your average whiskey. It’s absolutely unique, and truly one of the best I’ve encountered. If it fits your budget, give this a try if you appreciate whiskey in any form.

Two weeks after my second vaccine dose, and with this being my 100th review, I'm opening something special to mark the occasion. The aroma hits first with sherry cask notes and chocolate-covered raisins, followed by the bourbon cask's bourbon-soaked cherries and leading into tropical fruits like dried mango, pineapple, and syrupy peaches. There are also hints of shortbread cookies and vanilla gelato, then spices of cinnamon, ginger, leather, and aged polished oak, with a gentle ethanol sting. The palate offers a medium body, beginning with a blend of bourbon and sherry casks creating an explosive mix of cherry and grape caramel. This shifts to tropical fruits of mango, papaya, and pineapple, then to bubble gum dusted with powdered sugar and vanilla pound cake. It concludes with ginger, cloves, a faint touch of oak, and a mild chili spice. The finish is moderately long, featuring chocolate-covered raisins, mangoes, pineapple, leather, vanilla gelato, shortbread cookies, ginger, cloves, and a noticeable chili pepper spice. This is a remarkably intricate aged whisky that demands patience to reveal its full spectrum of flavors, born from the combination of its bourbon and sherry cask maturation. Many thanks to a friend for the kind sample that made this tasting possible.

Redbreast 21 carries a price tag of approximately $300. This is one of those enduring expressions that both newcomers and seasoned drinkers will value, and it's among the few spirits I've cherished as much now as when I first started exploring whisky about a decade ago. If you're new to whiskies and still developing your palate, consider trying Redbreast 12 and other more affordable options as you progress. However, if you already know your preferences, there's no need for a "daily drinker" – you shouldn't be consuming spirits every day anyway – just acquire the finest quality you can afford. There's no need to settle for less respectable choices like Redbreast 12, though it is quite respectable. Redbreast 21 represents the peak of that soft, velvety, creamy yet potent experience of cookie dough, apple pie, tropical fruit, and dessert spices. The 46% ABV is ideal. I've finished a bottle of their 27-year-old cask strength version, and while interesting, it didn't have the right character. For a comforting embrace like a cashmere sweater by candlelight, in a liquid form that should never substitute human connection, choose Redbreast 21. Purchase it. Buy it. Even if it's your sole annual acquisition.

I've delayed this for ages, finally seeing these in the US for $400. I paid about $220 in the UK. Nose - Oh man, I'm pleased. This sherry-finished delight is wonderful to smell. The sherry offers dark fruits, nearly turning into grapes (my top note for sherry-finished products). Now I'm unsure if it's a blend of bourbon and sherry casks or just finished, but who cares. Abundant grape and blueberry notes overpower some tropical fruit (pineapple?) and this chocolate malt scent that all Irish whiskeys seem to have for me. To quote Donald Rance, absolutely fantastic! Taste - Luscious dark fruits, a very spicy finish. It's a big, bold whisky at 46%. The combination of spice, excellent Irish pot still character, and prominent sherry is lovely. It lasts a long time. It lingers. I was considering a 4.25 earlier but it's drinking a bit lower right now. I'll revisit, but let's rate it a 4.0 for now. I think more highly of it than that score, so I expect to raise it.

This is an astonishing whiskey, truly living up to the acclaim. You should absolutely seek out an opportunity to taste it. Nose: Sherry, Orange, cooked fruit, fruit, peach, baked bread, Cantaloupe, apple, apricot. Taste: Continues the flavors from the nose, with Orange peel, moderate mouthfeel, berries, alcohol, spicy, smooth, delicate, sherry influence. Color: Attractive light tan hue. Finish: Lingering finish, with the same flavors. Mild smoke. Wonderfully harmonious. Highly sophisticated. In the glass: cooked fruit, peach, spice, sherry, brown sugar, sweet. Vanilla and walnut. Cantaloupe, apple, apricot. Requires time in the glass to fully develop. Acquired a bottle from fine drams in 2021 as a special indulgence.